Oscar winning music director A.R.Rahman has announced that he will observe a day-long fast on Friday, along with members of the Nadigar Sangam -- the South Indian Artistes Association -- to express solidarity with people protesting against the ban on Jallikattu. He took to Twitter to make the announcement.
I'm fasting tomorrow to support the spirit of Tamilnadu!
— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) January 19, 2017
However, AR Rahman known as the Mozart of Madras, gave no other details about his fast. His announcement follows many of his peers in the Tamil film industry, who have lent their support to jallikattu cause
Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand also joined the chorus on Thursday. He tweeted:
My state rises again. In unison . In peace. Proud to be a #tamizhanda.Genext here are modern yet culturally rooted. #JusticeforJallikattu
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) January 19, 2017
#jallikattu is a cultural symbol . Respect it. Im all for animal rights but here that is not the point.tradition & livelihood are .
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) January 19, 2017
Friday will see stars from the Tamil film industry participate in a daylong silent peaceful protest, backed by the Nadigar Sangam. Leading stars including Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Vijay, Suriya among others, who have already voiced their support for the ban to be lifted, are expected to participate in the protest.
Nadigar Sangam Secretary, Vishal has also written a letter to PM Modi, appealing to him to pass an ordinance permitting jallikattu.
In Jallikattu, a bull vaulter is expected to hang on to the animal's hump for a stipulated distance or for a minimum of three jumps by the bull.
The Supreme Court banned Jallikattu in May 2014, saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including bullock-cart races. Since then, people have been urging the central government to take steps to allow the sport.
(With inputs from IANS)